Should Ateneo Be Suspended From the UAAP?

Controversies hound Ateneo de Manila University's (ADMU) basketball program and Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin following the tragic death of student-athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia and Chukwuemeka Divine Adili. Official report says they died from asphyxia by drowning on June 8, 2026, during an off-campus team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.

The Aurora Provincial Police already ruled out foul play, but multiple independent investigations into potential negligence are being conducted. The Department of Justice ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to form a task force. ADMU President Fr. Roberto Yap, SJ, announced that the Board of Trustees initiated an independent fact-finding investigation. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is requiring ADMU to submit a detailed chronological report to evaluate athletic protocols. The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) established a multi-stakeholder body to reexamine safety standards for student-athletes.

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), where Ateneo has been a member school since 1978, is awaiting findings from the NBI, the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, CHED, and ADMU. "As only limited details have been officially confirmed," they said in a public statement on Sunday, June 14.

"When completed, all relevant information will be referred to the seven other member schools for a full and fair review," it added.

While officials have ruled that this was an accident, there is precedent for schools being suspended from the UAAP throughout its nearly 90-year history.

Adamson University was ordered a one-year suspension by the UAAP in 1994 for fielding Marlou Aquino despite academic deficiencies. At the time, his school records were under verification for the 1994 Philippine Basketball Association Draft. It was later found out that the player only had 18 academic units during his three-year stay with the Adamson Soaring Falcons, way below the league's 48-unit requirement for eligibility.

In October 2005, the De La Salle University Green Archers admitted to having unknowingly fielded two ineligible players from 2003 to 2005, resulting not only in a one-year suspension (2006-07 sports season), but also the forfeiture of their 2004-05 championship title against FEU. The school reported that Mark Benitez and Tim Gatchalian fabricated their Philippine Educational Placement Test Certificates (PEPTCRs) to gain varsity eligibility, with Raul Lacson (a contractual statistician of the school’s men’s basketball team) and Manny Salgado (former assistant team manager) allegedly involved. The UAAP board voted 5-2 in favor of a one-year suspension, with the other two inclined for a two-year suspension.

In both instances, the whole school was suspended, meaning it wasn't only their men's basketball teams that weren't allowed to play, but all the other teams in the collegiate league in the given year (UAAP Season 57 and 69, respectively).

For the University of Santo Tomas' case, it wasn't the whole school nor the men's basketball team that received a penalty from the UAAP board. UST Growling Tigers basketball coach Aldin Ayo was handed an indefinite ban following the 2020 Sorsogon bubble controversy, involving allegations of violating quarantine protocols during the pandemic and insufficient living conditions, allegedly causing player transfers. Days prior to UAAP's decision, the coach (along with two assistant coaches), had already handed in their resignation with formal acceptance by the UST.

On Monday morning, June 15, Baldwin and three other officials of ADMU were no-shows at the fact-finding mission of CIDG on the deaths of two student athletes at Camp Crame today, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, with only their legal representatives attending.

Later in the day, in a press conference, Fr. Yap announced that Baldwin and team manager Christopher "Epok" Quimpo have resigned. They were previously placed "on leave."

Meanwhile, in an announcement on June 14, the ADMU men's basketball team has withdrawn from competing in the remainder of the 19th Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup. The team had only played one game in the pre-season college basketball tournament, with a 72–52 win over the Adamson Soaring Falcons on June 6.

In a public statement released by the league, they said: "The Executive Committee...has been informed of Ateneo de Manila University's decision to withdraw from competing for the remainder of the tournament. Upon continuous discussions and as confirmed with the University's athletic director, Emmanuel Fernandez, it was deemed appropriate to grant their request out of compassion following the tragic incident.

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